Saturday, February 28, 2015

Jeanne at Spiral made blocks in three sizes and then pieced them into strips. She, of course, varied the sizes intentionally, but this is a good solution to the problem of many blocks in different sizes, e.g. 12" finished blocks that actually range from 11-1/4" to 12-3/4". Piece them into strips of like sizes. A clever set for, as she calls them in a blog post, "swap blocks and orphans and sub-units"

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Rietje has posted a photo of what looks to be a quilted and bound Austen Family Album. Finished!

She has set the 36 blocks side by side and framed it with a chain of squares pieced border.

I recolored her photo a bit but I still don't think the color is as pretty as it is in real life. The pictures she's taken of her blocks over the year reflect the color better, warm reds, pinks, browns and ivories.

Sources for the Illustrations

See more about where I found the illustrations by clicking on the artist. Many of the actual objects are in the collection of Jane Austen's House Museum in Chawton.

Books: Austen Biographies, History and Analysis

Below are a few of the books referenced in the posts.

Claire TomalinJane Austen: A Life

John MullanWhat Matters in Jane Austen

Paula Bryant The Real Jane Austen

Deirdre Le Faye Jane Austen: A Family Record

Deirdre Le Faye Jane Austen's Letters

Deirdre le Faye Jane Austen's Outlandish Cousin

BY A LADY

About the author: Barbara Brackman is an American who loves to read about the regency period. She knows a lot about American quilt patterns and will defer to Austen experts. Click on the portrait to see her main blog: